Estimating Estrus Cycle By Condition of Cervix

[inyati13]

Does the condition of the cervix say anything about the part of the estrus cycle the cow is in? I bred a cow that was 90 days postpartum. She is a first calver. I saw her jumping this morning early. Never did see her settle into a standing heat. But she was getting jumped but didn't seem to be standing for it. I bred her at sundown. I plan to bred her again early tomorrow.

Her cervix was soft. I said once before that I have never failed to locate the cervix not even in heifers. I didn't find this cervix very quickly. I went past it and was on the forks of the uterus. I came back to the gun and realized I was into the cervix. The cervix was soft and without form (sounds like lines from Genesis). The cervix was open and the gun went right through. The end of the cervix was difficult to discern so I used the fork of the uterus as a landmark for unloading the gun. I deposited a good inch or more back from the external split of the horns to avoid horn breeding (CP taught me that).

Now my question is: The cervix is at times firm and the muscular flaps are rigid. Other times, it is soft and without form. The gun goes though without the grating on the muscular flaps. Does these conditions tell you if you are early or late in the estrus cycle relative to ovulation?

BTW: I made another observation. You cannot read a lot into the chalk being gone. I watched this cow most of the day. She had her chalk rubbed off way before she was standing. It came off during the phase when other cows would jump her but she would move out rather than stand. But they got on her long enough to get the chalk off. So you better not put too much faith in the chalk being gone correlating to standing heat!!!!!

 

[branguscowgirl]

I can not answer your question Ron, because I do not do my own AI work.
But I do know that the chalk is unreliable that way. I use the scratch offs and place them a little further forward than directed. They are usually standing when they are scratched off.

 

[Nesikep]

I heard one guy used that yellow or green masking tape.. never needed to use it but it sounds like a good idea.

 

[wbvs58]

Ron, the condition of the cervix is interpreted a lot in mares or at least it used to be before the advent of ultrasound to supply all the information, but in mares the estrus is over about 5 days or more and with serial checking the changes become more obvious as ovulation approaches. Speculums, both the duckbill and illuminated Perspex were commonly used to visualise the cervix and to take swabs etc. The anatomy of mares lends itself to these procedures better than with cows.
So to answer your question the answer is yes but it is not really documented much as there is rarely direct visual observation of it and things happen so quickly. No doubt as you gain more experience with AI you will build up a picture in your mind of what is going on and this will be a valuable resource for you to compare cows and the same cow from year to year along with your results.
Ken

 

[branguscowgirl]

[quoteNo doubt as you gain more experience with AI you will build up a picture in your mind of what is going on and this will be a valuable resource for you to compare cows and the same cow from year to year along with your results.][/quote]


Ron, this is what I have heard as well. The vets and AI Techs that I have worked with, claim that they can somewhat identify the changes. CP would be a good person to ask from his experience.

 

[inyati13]

[quoteNo doubt as you gain more experience with AI you will build up a picture in your mind of what is going on and this will be a valuable resource for you to compare cows and the same cow from year to year along with your results.]

Ron, this is what I have heard as well. The vets and AI Techs that I have worked with, claim that they can somewhat identify the changes. CP would be a good person to ask from his experience.[/quote]

Yes, and Putangitangi. Ruth has even mentioned it before.

 

[cow pollinater]

In my experience, on dairy cattle yes but beef cattle no. It's really rare for me to stick my arm in a beef cow and feel any kind of tone worth mentioning. On occasion I'll feel one that is absolutely in heat but those are hard to be wrong on as the external signs will tell you you're dead on before your arm goes in.
On dairy cattle one of my tricks to keep me dialed in is to carry a glove when I heat detect and stick an arm in anything that makes me pause. Every little change in the ration/weather/management will change the display of estrus so you can't do it the same way every day unless you want to lose your job. When I start finding hot cows that had me unsure then it's time to be more aggressive.

 

[inyati13]

In my experience, on dairy cattle yes but beef cattle no. It's really rare for me to stick my arm in a beef cow and feel any kind of tone worth mentioning. On occasion I'll feel one that is absolutely in heat but those are hard to be wrong on as the external signs will tell you you're dead on before your arm goes in.
On dairy cattle one of my tricks to keep me dialed in is to carry a glove when I heat detect and stick an arm in anything that makes me pause. Every little change in the ration/weather/management will change the display of estrus so you can't do it the same way every day unless you want to lose your job. When I start finding hot cows that had me unsure then it's time to be more aggressive.

That statement was more important in your response than any thing else. I was thinking along those lines when I was driving home after breeding two of my favorite girls. They had their first calves in Late March. I thought: This breeding season (June: For March calves) has been almost totally different than the December breeding season. In December I was at least 60% sure that my timing was good. This season, I have not been sure on any. I do know this. I know when they are in heat. But I don't know where at in the cycle. I am starting to use the characteristics of the vulva as an indication. I hope I am safe on doing that.

For example. One of the cows I bred yesterday morning. I was watching her and the cow I intended to breed jump each other the night before. I was getting her out assuming her activity was related to the estrus of the other cow. As I was moving her, I saw her vulva was moist. I thought, hey, it looks like she is in estrus. I opened it and sure enough. Very very pink and some mucus hanging in the those long hairs at the bottom. I put her out still thinking it was odd. When she got out to the other cows. Guess what. She started jumping them. So she was in heat too. I was very happy that I stayed around a few minutes to figure this out. I got a pan of feed and put her back in the holding to breed.

AI on natural heats is a game you better be able to play on a moments notice.

 

[Putangitangi]

In general I find a cow/heifer on heat has a firm cervix. In a really hot one I'll often discover the inseminator is virtually in place before I've figured out where I am!

 

[inyati13]

In general I find a cow/heifer on heat has a firm cervix. In a really hot one I'll often discover the inseminator is virtually in place before I've figured out where I am!

Yep, Yep. That is good to know. The two I bred yesterday morning, I thought were very hot. That was what I meant by going past the cervix before I knew it. Your explaination is about how I would say it. What ever I am doing, seems to be working. CP told me something in a PM that I am understanding more and more. He stated, " I don't think, I just do it." Since AI is partly the art of "feel", I think that is apropos.

Ruth are you mainly beef or dairy? I have forgotten.

 

[Putangitangi]

In general I find a cow/heifer on heat has a firm cervix. In a really hot one I'll often discover the inseminator is virtually in place before I've figured out where I am!

Yep, Yep. That is good to know. The two I bred yesterday morning, I thought were very hot. That was what I meant by going past the cervix before I knew it. Your explaination is about how I would say it. What ever I am doing, seems to be working. CP told me something in a PM that I am understanding more and more. He stated, " I don't think, I just do it." Since AI is partly the art of "feel", I think that is apropos.

Ruth are you mainly beef or dairy? I have forgotten.

Angus, black, some my ex-registered cows. The rest I've been breeding up from a mixed bag of dairy rejects for 16-odd years, regularly AIing the purebreds to breed bulls to use over the rest. One year I did almost all AI (three of the 34 were done by a less-than-ideal bull on the basis that a calf is better than an empty cow). Calved out that year in 36 days. (Three of my four bulls the previous season turned out to be AM/NH carriers, so AI was the only decent option.)